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Welcome back for another edition of The Chatterbox blog! I just recently had a “Daddy and Baby Day” at the Columbus Zoo (Wifey had to work, but I was putting our Season Passes to good use). It was a warm, sunny day!

We spent about maybe 5 hours there and actually saw quite a bit. I opted not to go with a stroller and carried Zoe on my shoulders when she didn’t want to walk in the heat (which turned out to be 90% of the time). Reason for that is if you have a stroller or wagon, it tends to restrict areas you can snake yourself into for viewing. I think for the experience, it was worth it! Having said that, I could hardly lift my arm to pay for fast food in the drive thru on the way home. A 40+ pound baby can get to be a little much on your shoulders for around 4 hours!

A lot of the animals put on some decent shows for us when we stopped by. Our first stop was the Polar Bear exhibit! We actually got to see them under water catching fish. The action got a little TOO live for a little girl watching at the glass. He snarfed up a fish head on with where she was looking at the glass, so I’m sure it looked like it was coming straight for her. Needless to say, she wasn’t too happy after that. Zoe on the other hand, thought it was the coolest thing. She recapped with me for a good trek while going to the next location. “Daddy! Did you see him dive and go arrgh at the fishie! He hungy bear!”

Next up, we found the Monkeys! It seemed like the bigger the crowd, the more inclined they were to amp up the silliness level. From what it looked like, they started to have a high-flying game of butt grab tag. Very amusing to watch! After that, they proceeded to sit and imitate the bystanders. We saw some makeshift hand binoculars, yawn and stretches, and then what I like to describe it as… The Family Portrait! They kind of just lined up as a group and posed for a few. Very smart, but silly animals!

After the monkeys, we found the Tigers. Usually they are sleeping in a more covered, shaded area. This time they were shaded, but more out in the open. Lazy cats! All day, every day!

From there it was off to other parts of the park. We saw Swans, Ducks, Flamingos, Elephants, Cheetahs, Pumas, Bobcats, Lions, Eagles, and more Bears. To close out the day, Zoe wanted to see the Gorillas and Penguins. The Congo exhibit led us to more Monkeys and the Gorillas. I was even able to snag a couple of shots of one holding a baby… spotted by Zoe!

Last but certainly not least was the Penguins. They were currently going through a molting stage and some didn’t look too fun, but others were out and about catching some sunshine. We even had a guide there pointing out one of the baby’s and how much they’ve grown from it’s birth date of Feb 14th, 2011 (the day before Zoe’s birthday) to now. She also explained how they were marked as male, female, or in mating pairs.

All in all, it was a great day! We got to cover alot of ground in the short time were were there, but I’m sure there will be tons more for us to see throughout the remainder of the season. Time for the breakdown…

Chatterbox Trip Tip:

We’ve found with alot of parks that if you are able to swing the extra cash for a season pass, then there isn’t alot of pressure on you to see everything in one day. You can come and go as you please and if you miss the Aquarium or some of the shows, it will be no big deal. You’ll be able to come and experience it another day. We’ve also had some issues in the past with selfish adults who will continuously block your view and your kid’s view just staring at an animal, so again it’s nice to be able to come back on another day. Also, you receive 10% off merchandise with a season pass as well. Win/win! I believe the family pass was around $89 (if you order online) and if you go 2 or 3 times, it is basically paid for. For more information, check out Columbuszoo.org

All in all, our season passes to The Columbus Zoo has got to be our best investment so far this year. Zoe expresses a sincere interest in animals and I think it’s a good thing to encourage. For more photos from our trip, click here to view my Flickr feed! Until next time…